China and Japan in Top-level Talks

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State Councilor and former foreign minister Yang Jiechi met with Japan’s secretary for national security Shotaro Yachi to convene high-level political talks on July 16.

china and japan have tentatively restored relations since reaching a consensus in November 2014 after months of tension. Bilateral talks and exchanges in various fields have since resumed.

During the dialog， Yang emphasized that China will promote bilateral relations based on historical political agreements previously concluded with Japan. Yachi， meanwhile， pledged to maintain the historical consensus that both countries are cooperation partners and pose no threat to one another.

The gradual restoration of ties has， however， been overshadowed by an ongoing Abe administration review of Japan’s security policy， which has already resulted in several bills to expand the operational role of the country’s Self-Defense Force. During the dialog， Yang described the bills as an “unprecedented move” by Japan， calling on Tokyo not to do anything to undermine peace and stability in postwar Asia.

“It does not comply with international norms for Japan to reinforce its military while the international community pursues peace and cooperation，” Yang claimed at the dialog.

“Bilateral relations have reached a sensitive point， as China is about to hold a celebration of its victory in the second Sino-Japanese War and the end of World War II，” Gao Hong， vice-director of the Institute of Japanese Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， told the media. “Despite the high-level talks， whether or not bilateral relations will thaw will depend on Japan’s attitude towards history，” he added.

Society

Lawyers Detained

Beijing police recently raided the offices of the Beijing Fengrui law firm， detaining several lawyers and a legal assistant on suspicion of“hyping up sensitive social incidents in the name of protecting people’s rights.”

The police took the Qing’an case in which a local policeman shot a farmer to death as an example. According to police， Fengrui lawyers allegedly employed netizens to post and spread rumors relating to the shooting death of a rural resident by police in Qing’an County， Heilongjiang， also inciting petitioners to protest the shooting. State media reports claimed that a petitioner from Shandong Province has already confessed to being paid 600 yuan （US$98） to make such a protest.

The Qing’an shooting was ruled lawful after investigators examined footage of the incident， with police claiming that the deceased had previously threatened police. Police told State media that Fengrui had earned its reputation and its “fortune” by allegedly manipulating around 40 similar incidents.

Critics both inside and outside China， meanwhile， have protested the detention， alleging that it is an attempt to muzzle a law firm that has been critical of the authorities in the past. The case remains under investigation.

Health

China Publishes National Health Survey

China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission recently issued the results of its 10-year study on health and chronic disease in China between 2002 and 2012， warning of a looming obesity crisis largely resulting from worsening dietary habits and generally poor cardiovascular health.

Despite recording improving living standards across the country， the report shows that Chinesemales had an average height of only 1.67 meters in 2012， while women averaged 1.56 meters tall， reportedly shorter than the average recorded in Japan and South Korea. National average bodyweight， meanwhile， was 66.2 kilograms for men and 57.3 kilograms for women， with a record 30 percent of Chinese adults classified as “overweight.”

The report noted that fat and sugar intake among Chinese nationals was rising， while few were consuming the recommended daily amount of non-animal protein or dairy. It also highlighted how few Chinese nationals were engaging in sufficient physical activity.

The report showed that in 2012， 25.2 percent of Chinese nationals suffered from high blood pressure， while 9.7 percent had some form of diabetes. According to the 2013 data， 235 people out of every 100，000 had suffered some form of cancer， with smoking， alcohol consumption， lack of exercise and excessive salt and fat intake the leading causes of chronic diseases.

Politics

KMT Nominates Hung Hsiu-chu

The Kuomintang （KMT）， Taiwan’s current ruling party， has nominated Hung Hsiu-chu to be its leadership candidate in the island’s upcoming elections in January 2016.

Born in 1956， Hung now serves as deputy director of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan. Announcing her candidacy， Hung pledged， if elected， to promote peaceful relations across the Taiwan Strait and uphold the 1992 Consensus that enshrined the “One China” principle， interpreted differently by Taipei and Beijing.

Dubbed “little chili pepper，” Hung is well known for her scathing remarks regarding supporters of Taiwanese independence， particularly those among the island’s opposition. She is seen as a KMT foil to the popular Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） candidate Tsai Ing-wen， who is currently leading Hung in the polls by 12 percentage points.

International

AIIB Agreement Signed

On June 29， 57 members signed the Articles of Agreement on the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank（AIIB）， marking another milestone in the process of commencing formal operations.

Dubbed the “Basic Law” of the AIIB， the agreement defines the bank’s structure， its operational model and the allocation of shares， with China currently commanding 26.06 percent of votes based on its current stock holdings.

The next step is to establish the AIIB’s governing council and board of directors， as well as allocate management positions， with the bank’s president elected for a five-year term. All the bank’s top-level leaders， including its president， will be directly elected by officials.

Given that the AIIB’s Asian members are eligible to occupy 70-75 percent of the bank’s equity based on their GDP ， it is most likely that China will become the biggest single shareholder. Experts predict that the AIIB will begin operations at the end of 2015.